The Iron Arena Games, Part One Dr. Yohko Kamaguchi stood before the receptionist and smiled. He was a handsome young man, and looked well-suited for his job. She bent over slightly to write her name on the paper, and stood back to let the rest of her team sign along. Now the Iron Arena Games had been in existence for as long as people with extraordinary skills had been around, but lately the good doctor believed financing the games with her own time and money was a good investment. After all, it was such a wonderful place to meet new and talented people: she sought the winners for their power, and the losers for their desperation. The next person in line wrote her name underneath Kamaguchi's, signifying her affiliation with the MERCS. She did not use her real name, of course, for doing that in such a public place would've been foolish, so she scrawled "Bloodbane", and stepped aside for the next in line. More of Kamaguchi's company came next: first "Pandora the Gambler" was written, and after her came "Sanaa", and finally "Ferret". Ferret would not be fighting in the games, but Dr. Kamaguchi had different plans in mind for her agent. She would've liked for them not to come to fruition, but if worst came to worst, she always did like having a wild card. "Thank you, ladies. Please follow the escort to your designated area." The quintet wandered away, missing the group after them. Being affiliated with Kamaguchi, the game's sponsor, allowed them the best seats in the house, plus the best facility and the best service (after all, why pay for something and not receive anything back?). The team following them was not quite so fortunate, but then again, who in the world had such money to burn? "There we go," said Father Jacob Pochanski as he finished signing in. He would not participate, of course, but everyone coming into the arena was asked to sign in, whether they were a guest or combatant. The Battle Divas each scrawled their names—BK Power, Cobra, Bubblegum Black, G-Force, and Siren—and were instructed to follow an escort to their designated area. ...... "A tournament, huh? Sounds like fun!" And with those words, Kailin soon found her life taking another strange turn. Soon after evading Snowblood and her forces (and getting Rin's bike fixed), the duo had learned about a special tournament being held nearby, and on top of that, it was designed specifically for people with their kinds of abilities—the unusual kind. Rin took to it like a lion after its prey, and even Kailin seemed enthusiastic about the whole deal. Between the two of them, they had just enough money to pay for the initiation fee, and were granted a crude spot to call their own. Of course, how could they possibly know that a pale, curvy, blind woman was there as well...? "Look, you're worried about her, right? You said yourself this might be a good place to start looking for her." "I dunno, Merry. I have a bad feeling about this." Merry Lynn Weathers crossed her arms impatiently. "You always have a feeling about something, Riss. I mean, yeah, maybe she won't be here, but she might be watching the telecast. Huh? Didja think about that? And certainly she'd recognize her old partners." "I don't think she's the type to just come running when she sees a familiar face." "Point taken. But we're all worried about her, and you've heard Mr. White. He's livid. He makes me scared, and I've known him the longest. So what else could we do? We just...we want her back. And what about Pale? It's a good chance she's here too. I mean, you've heard the rumors; she's one powerful lady. And this is as good a place as any to start." "Still." Marissa Wainright crossed her arms, not very appeased. "I have my doubts." "So do I, hon. But we've got to try." Marissa couldn't argue, and as skeptical as she was about her acquaintance—Kagemusha would more than likely take steps to avoid them further after this incident—Merry did have a point, and they did need to find her, seriously. Because everyone at the Lost compound was concerned. Even Shalis. Even Alisti. "Where are the others?" she mumbled. Merry shrugged. "Who knows? I thought I saw Julie lurking around somewhere—no pun intended." Marissa grinned anyway, despite how worn-out that joke was getting. "And Namie...you know she's going to be off by herself. Y'know, now that I think about it, she and Shalis..." "Excuse me." Merry felt herself being bumped gently by a smaller girl. She snorted, angry at being interrupted and ran into, especially since she and Marissa were practically alone, but she noticed the girl's dark glasses and walking stick. "I'm sorry, I didn't—" "It's okay, I get it a lot. Sorry." Merry allowed the girl to pass without rancor—again, no pun intended—and resumed her conversation with Marissa. Once she felt she was far enough away, the blind girl hid herself and perked up her ears. The name Kagemusha sounded vaguely familiar to her, and she felt a bit of eavesdropping would do her good. ...... Haanz Glücklig found himself alone in the Iron Arena Games, as he had since he first started coming. Standing next to him was a silent stranger, a girl with frosty eyes who had taken a naïve liking to the older man. They had not grown much of a conversation—the girl was mute and expressed herself through body and sign language—but Haanz found himself liking her nonetheless. After all, as he had said dozens of times before, talk was cheap and silence was golden. So Skye was obviously very wealthy. To the other side of him was another Hanz, though one not interested in affiliation. He stood alone, proudly, handsome and flawless in every aspect. Glücklig didn't like such people—those who knew their flaws were usually more interesting and fun anyway—and so it didn't bother him at all to keep his distance. He spent his time with Skye, whose simple smile told him just how much she appreciated the attention. There was also another young man with them wandering around the area, though he had gone off to greet somebody earlier. Glücklig liked him, too, though he had looked awfully ill. The man—what was his name again? Something-Claw?—told him that worrying made him physically ill, and the upcoming battles had put some strain on him. Best that he walked around and got some air. ...... "Heyyy G-Force!" Sal Redinger jumped in surprise as she felt somebody poke her back, and would've pummeled her attacker if she wasn't so glad to see him. She publicly embraced Thunder-Claw, crooning over how good it was to see him again, and formally introduced him to the rest of her team, most of whom he already knew. Siren was happy to see him again—Xianq was much happier—and Cobra, whom he was meeting for the first time, looked pleased but not overly excited. "You fighting too?" asked Redinger once introductions were made. "Yeah. I heard rumor the Battle Divas were gonna be here, so I came over as soon as I was released. I figured it'd be a good place to test my powers and check out the other superheroes in town. Man, where have all these people been hiding?!" "They've just been hiding, that's my guess," said Cobra. "You know how our kind is. Reclusive. Private. A true hero shuns the limelight." "Then there aren't many ‘true heroes' here today," remarked Xianq. Sure enough, of the sixteen people that were going to be fighting in the Games, only a few of them shied away from the crowd's roar. Most of them were rolling in the attention, or worse, blowing kisses and waving broadly. Kris rolled her eyes. "I see. God, what an assembly! Anybody recognize these people?" "I met a few of em' earlier," said Thunder-Claw. He pointed to a distant trio and waved. "Those people were bunched up with me since they didn't have anybody else. Most of em' are pretty nice, but one's a pain in the neck. I hope one of us gets a crack at him." "What was his name?" "He refused to tell me. Can you believe it?!" Most of the girls grimaced empathetically; it was men like that who made them seek out all-female squads like the Divas. Thunder-Claw soon sensed that he would have to go over and rejoin them, so he excused himself, said farewell, and ran back. Haanz and Skye welcomed him; the third pretended like he wasn't even alive. Well, the less contact the better. ...... Snowblood had the vision of a mole, but even she could tell when Rin looked peeved. She could literally feel the girl's annoyance as she walked up to her and bowed. The other one with her, who she still did not know, had an aura of apprehension around her, and it looked strong enough to knock down a wall. "Well, I was right," said Snowblood; "you definitely came here." "So whaddya want, a medal for clairvoyance?" "Nothing of the sort. Just a rematch, is all. A friendly one, of course—no killing in the arena." "Oh, really. Did you follow us here?" "You sound so accusatory. Rin, I may be blind, but I'm not stupid. I understand you well enough to know that you'd come here. I've actually fought in here before, but I've always been beaten. Maybe this time I'll win." "You'll have to get through me first, Snowblood." "I intend to do just that." The two women, wanderer and warrior, stared at each other unyielding, with Kailin seemingly invisible. There was enough animosity between them to fill a pool, but there was also respect, even admiration. "Look," said Rin gently, "you seem like an okay person, so if we do fight, I want it to be clean. Don't drag all your personal nonsense into this." "The only thing personal about this will be the desire to fight you again, and perhaps to settle our score. Of course, I would have to seriously beat you to make us even." "Yeah right, like that'll ever happen!!" Rin hadn't meant to sound so nasty, it just came out. Snowblood didn't look offended, but then again, she was quite a stoic character to begin with. "We'll see." She smiled, bowed, and walked away—but before that, "Oh, you never told me the name of your friend." Kailin introduced herself, and Snowblood smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kailin. I hope you realize I have nothing against either of you." "Yeah, well...whatever." ...... The Iron Arena Games had two announcers for play-by-play information, one resembling a feline-human hybrid and the other a fairy. They were just disguises, though; both were human, and rather good at their job at that. They each took turns drawing names randomly, and once every name was put on the board, spectators and participants alike could see what kind of fights they could expect. "Welcome, all!" shouted the cat-man loudly. "Welcome to the thirtieth annual Iron Arena Games Tournament! Veterans to this free-for-all will know that I am William the Cat, famous announcer and former contender!" "My name is Bonnie the Fairy, beauty queen and inspiration to hundreds for ten years going!" shouted the fairy-girl. "We're proud to once again welcome everybody to the main event, especially the woman who graciously sponsored these games." "Please give a round of applause," continued William, "for the lovely Dr. Yohko Kamaguchi!" The doctor stood up and waved humbly; her image on the jumbo television screen put focus on her every detail. She sat once things quieted, and Bonnie continued. "As you can see behind me, we've got a wonderful lineup! Let's first welcome our contestants in the order they'll be fighting, then we can go on to the main event! Oh, William, I'm just abuzz with excitement!" "Hold your wings a few seconds longer, Bonnie! Our first two warriors are here courtesy of the Battle Diva Enforcement, an all-women's superhero team dedicated to stamping out evil! Let's hear it for Cobra and Bubblegum Black!" The audience cheered; the two teammates looked at each other and shrugged indifferently. With five people in the roster, they were bound to fight each other sooner or later, so best to get it out of the way. They shook on it and clapped for the others as they were called. "In the next two fights," continued Bonnie, "we have a silent yet strong warrior named Skye, and another member of the Battle Divas, the lovely Siren!" Applause... William: "Hailing from the jungles of Solaris, we have with us a new face in the ring, Bloodbane! Fighting her will be a local favorite, a superhero on the rise, Thunder-Claw!" Bonnie: "We're now proud to present a young warrior who gracefully masters fire, Hsu Kai Lin! Fighting her will be one of Dr. Kamaguchi's own, Pandora the Gambler!" William: "Up next is another one of Kamaguchi's mercenaries, the dangerous and mysterious Sanaa! Fighting her will be a woman of great strength and fury, the irrepressible Rancor!" Bonnie: "We also have a man so gorgeous and perfect, I think the competition should quit right now and give him the prize! Let's hear it for the magnificent Pride! Do I feel sorry for the one he's up against, though: a young girl with the Battle Divas named G-Force. Oh, what a pity!" G-Force and her fellow Divas all rolled their eyes, fully confident of who the winner would really be. The females in the audience, however, saw things differently as they cheered for the egotistical man. William: "Let me introduce the last member of the Battle Divas, the unstoppable BK Power! Her opponent is a woman of equal strength and resolve, the Ronin Rin!" Bonnie: "Finally, we have two very unusual and very familiar people fighting together! On one side is the powerful, the lovely, Lady Snowblood! On the other is the strong, the mighty, the Purple Spoon Man!" "Purple Spoon Man?" muttered about a dozen contestants—and several thousand spectators. The man with the world's most bizarre alter ego didn't seem fazed by their disbelief at all—in fact, he almost seemed happy because of it. It had been he who befriended Skye and Thunder-Claw, and shunned Pride, but what was a man with that kind of name doing there? "Now that everybody has been introduced to our sixteen lovely contenders," announced William, "what say we get this show started with some action! First up is the battle between Cobra and Bubblegum Black!" The crowds cheered, the two partners hurled themselves into the ring, and once and for all, the rules were read: Since the use of special powers was what made the Iron Arena Games so famous, not only were they legal but encouraged. A talented healer was employed by the Games to mend any and all wounds sustained in battle, so the two could fight each other to their heart's content. Victories could be attained either by knockout or ring-out, and killing or dismemberment was not allowed. Everything else was up for game, which was just fine by many. With that out of the way, the gongs sounded and the games began. Safe in her skybox, Dr. Kamaguchi watched and made special notes of each of the warriors... ......... Cobra and Bubblegum "Beeg" Black knew each other's abilities well enough to seriously give the crowd their money's worth. Cobra was by far stronger, faster, and more experienced than Black, but the younger girl had her gumwad projectiles, which could form into sticky wrappings, hard bullets, or thick vapors. She fired mercilessly at Cobra, but the woman was as agile as her namesake, and had fought Black at the top of her game before, and won. Though clouded at times by the girl's vapor-attack, Cobra could use her incredible senses to plow through and fight. Once she was trapped in the sticky goo, giving Black time to pummel her as she desired, but since Cobra had a powerful constitution, she barely felt the blows, sharp as they came. Eventually the goo weakened, as it tended to do under the correct amount of strain, and she was free to battle again. Cobra didn't want to hurt her companion in spite of the on-sight healer, so she merely ran up, grabbed her, and hurled her entire body out of the ring. William and Bonnie were livid, the crowd was wild, the other Divas were amazed. They thought "Beeg" would last longer, but then again, she had been beaten by one of their own. The naïve Skye was slated to go up against the reserved Siren; it seemed like an even match. While Skye had no impressive display of martial arts, her unusual gifts had landed her a seed in the Games. Siren came after her before she could develop anything, knocking her halfway across the arena with a blast of spirit power. She rose, slowly, regarding the slightly older woman with a silent stare. Her eyes flickered—her teeth bared horribly—Siren's mouth hung open in surprise as the girl transformed, her powers manifesting at last. Into, of all things, a humanoid dragon. Siren's face locked into focus, and she feared that she would not be able to use spirit power against a dragon or even a hybrid dragon. Meanwhile, Skye flew over and assaulted her, striking her with such force that the very ring got a small dent. She picked Siren up and tossed her, but a quick blast backwards ensured the other woman that she would not tumble out of the ring. She flipped and fell to safety; she had to leap to the side to avoid a second smash. Though Skye kept her same average size as before, her strength had spiked, and she was almost too fast to watch. Siren had to use several skills she hated just to survive. She activated her powers so they would enhance every part of her body and not just her sword, and returned to the fight with a more even edge. She quickly struck Skye right in the abdomen at point blank range, slashing with the razor and the lashings of phenomenal auras. The dragon-girl was thrown back as if hit by a wrecking ball, and tumbled so much that she was too dizzy to get up. Siren raised her sword, and swung it for a final blow: the spirit wave flew across the energy and knocked Skye unconscious. Of course, using so much power in such a short period of time caused Siren to weaken, but at least she could stand. Bloodbane was a striking girl with long, shimmering silver hair that looked like watery clouds, and her skin was nearly as white as milk in spite of the extended time she spent outdoors. She looked athletic enough to be in the arena, sure, but that didn't seem enough to go up against the likes of Thunder-Claw. He struck her down for three counts with a blast of lightning before she even fought back, but her strength couldn't save her. G-Force actually found herself relaxing as her friend wound himself through the "easy battle", but her daze was broken rudely when the silver-haired woman bled. On purpose. And the blood formed wings on her back—and a small, cranberry-colored axe as well. Her wrists and backbone were covered with blood, but she seemed stronger because of it. Thunder-Claw didn't seem as enthusiastic. He played defense as the ethereal maiden chased after him, throwing little orbs of electricity when he could, running when he could not. Bloodbane didn't seem to tire as long as she was in the air, and her axe, though made from her own blood, seemed just as heavy and sharp as any other weapon. Thunder-Claw barely escaped its blows many times as he afforded himself a moment to charge up. At last, though, Bloodbane got the upper hand, and struck him viciously in the face with the broadside of her weapon. The referee got to eight before Thunder-Claw moved to his feet, and Bloodbane was after him again in a moment. "Try this!" he shouted, holding both his hands out. A great flash of light engulfed nearly half the stadium, forcing everybody to shield their eyes—except Bloodbane. She seemed to grow even stronger. She gave her opponent the right to look confused before she explained and struck him again. "The light," she whispered, "gives me strength. I am as a flower, dependent on its rays. You have just helped me, friend." "Oh, crap." He couldn't fight back; Bloodbane won, and by a substantial margin. G-Force's friends comforted her as best they could, but she knew it was her job to do the consoling. No doubt her friend would be sore from the defeat—and it would have nothing to do with his wounds. The name of the girl who healed the two fighters was Naoma. Rin cheered wildly as Kailin took the stage, but it was her opponent, the mysterious Pandora the Gambler, who drew the most attention. Tall, well-built, with a prosthetic eight-ball for one eye and an orb of evergreen for the other, Pandora strolled into the arena wearing a black-and-white bodysuit with a red and green trim. There was a giant roulette wheel on her back, hence her name; it was strapped down with thick, metallic-armored bandoliers in an X-shape, and she carried a collapsible staff with a bladed end strapped to her left wrist, not yet in use. She wore a gray fedora for the time being, and tipped it to Kailin. "Mornin'." Kailin frowned. "Uh, okay..." "KICK HER ASS!!" screamed Rin. Hsu grinned. "My partner," she pointed. Pandora merely hummed and removed her hat. She shook her head violently, though only one person knew why (Kamaguchi grinned slyly), and smiled once she stopped. "Victory is mine." The roulette wheel attached to her back swung around suddenly, startling Kailin and everyone unfamiliar with the strange woman. It came to a stop, causing more than one person, Rin especially, to gasp: Poison Darts. The bandoliers around her chest suddenly sprang to life, and spewed out a whole round of darts before Kailin could even act. She tried lifting a wall of fire to protect herself, but it seemed luck was against her. Pandora had gambled, and won: Hsu was struck, and went down, paralyzed until the referee counted to ten. Naturally, Rin screamed. "YOU CHEATER! YOU COME DOWN HERE AND TRY THAT ON ME! I'LL RIP THAT THING OFF YOUR BACK AND SMASH IT ON YOUR HEAD! I DEMAND A REMATCH!!" It took more than one official to restrain her, and even more to keep her away from Pandora for the time. Thankfully, Kailin was only poisoned with sleeping darts, and woke up just in time to catch the next match. Rin hadn't really calmed down by that time—Hsu was first afraid that she had shamed her friend, but Rin assured her she did nothing wrong—but at least she was civil enough to wait her turn. "I swear," she grumbled, "I'm gonna pound that bitch." ...... After getting a good-luck hug from Marissa (who wasn't participating), Rancor stepped into the ring and eagerly awaited her first opponent. Sanaa, the only name her opponent was addressed by in or out of the ring, was a bronzy beauty that was almost as tall as Merry herself—which was really saying something. She had a serious face, wore special ops clothes, and greeted Merry and even Marissa with a nod. Wainright had never seen anything like her, Rancor felt tempted to tease her about it, but the fight... "Good luck," she said, cracking her knuckles. Sanaa waved numbly and stood in an unknown fighting stance. Rancor allowed her opponent to make the first move, but what a fast runner! She was quickly overtaken and on the floor in an instant, having only two handguns to stare up at. Sanaa had apparently thought herself the winner before ten seconds was up. Rancor knew better. She jerked up and shielded her entire body with armor, her "life's calling" as she put it, and endured the worst of what Sanaa had to throw at her. The younger girl had great speed and agility on her side, but without overwhelming strength, there was no way she could even tickle Rancor. Though slow, Merry Lynn had but to strike once with her armored hand, and that sent Sanaa to the ground. She lumbered over and tackled the girl, pinning her to the ground with her superior mass. Sanaa knew when she was outmatched, and gave up before she could be crushed or suffocated. Rancor was not a poor sport, and congratulated her opponent. Sanaa brushed her off politely and jumped out of the arena, landing right next to Marissa. The two studied each other some time before the taller girl stuck out her hand, apparently as a gesture of welcome or congratulation. Marissa shook it; Sanaa's hand was strong and a little coarse. "Uh, Marissa Wainright." "You know my name." She nodded. "Right, Sanaa. It means ‘work of art', doesn't it?" "Fitting, no?" Marissa thought she meant she was beautiful—which she was—but Sanaa was referring to something else, something darker. Something twisted, and vile, and frightening. Something that, Marissa would learn, she knew all too well... "Hey," said Rancor suddenly, "stop flirting, you two." Marissa turned red as she realized she was still grasping Sanaa's hand, so she let go and shuffled off. "G-get a life, Merry." Her friend just clucked and sat back to watch the next fight. According to her beliefs, G-Force would utterly trounce Pride and turn him into paste. The fight, however, did not go as planned. G-Force lacked confidence in her skills, and Pride, it seemed, was utterly full of himself, in every sense. He had such a firm belief in his awesome strength and skill that he seemed to suck the confidence out of his opponent even more. A warrior who fought with an ornate saber that was equal parts sharp and beautiful, Pride moved with the grace of a river and the audacity of a man in the very peak of his strength. G-Force couldn't even use her gravity-enhancing powers against him: he was so proud, as it were, that he believed he could overcome her even as she weighed him down, and attacked her regardless. Pride might've won, however, if he hadn't been interrupted from the fight. Though nobody else heard it, a tinny, clear voice transmitted to his mind from across the void, one belonging expressly to his Master. Pride was fixed on winning the fight and the tournament, but he did not go against the will of his Master, No Matter What. He snorted at G-Force and slashed her chest once for good measure before stepping out of the ring. He thought to himself, This had better be important. Sally Rosa Redinger was allowed to move on, but even with Naoma healing her, it didn't feel like a victory. Rancor felt compelled to cheer the younger girl up, but... The fights didn't diminish in spectacle after that; they actually intensified. First, Rin and BK Power went after each other in a match that would surely prove nasty. Both women were renowned for their unbelievable physical strength, but they both had unique edges. Power could amplify her strength two times, eventually emerging with a ten-ton exertion of force for every blow, but unlike Rin, who kept her powers naturally and permanently, she could not hold it for long. Thus, Power dominated the fight for a long time, but Rin's tenacity—or bullheadedness—eventually won, even though the fight was still close and neither beauty escaped without significant injuries. The second fight was just as interesting to watch. Snowblood had the distinct honor of fighting the bizarrely-named Purple Spoon Man. By all means, a guy with that name should've been difficult to defeat, but he actually put up a glorious battle! True to his name, he used spoons as weapons: sometimes throwing them with amazing precision, other times using them as a means of tripping his opponent as he scattered them on the floor. One particularly big utensil was used as a kind of club, which Snowblood at least had a dignified chance to battle with. PSM, as a few people soon dubbed him, seemed to be much stronger and more apt with his tools than his name suggested, but Snowblood had something else going for her—the promise of a fight with Rin. If she defeated her worthy opponent, she would have that chance, and so put her heart and her sixth sense into the battle. Even then, it took some time, as PSM seemed to have amazing stamina and a knack for getting up after receiving a beating. He was never knocked out; Snowblood had to force him out of the ring, which took a toll on her. He laughed, though, and congratulated the younger girl with a hearty, violent handshake. Something Snowblood hadn't expected. "Well," exclaimed William once the last match had been decided, "that was an outrageous beginning! And the best part is...it was the beginning! We have three more rounds to go, each one becoming greater than the one before it, until there are only two people left to decide the champion!" "And what a lineup it is!" exclaimed Bonnie. "In the first match, we have Cobra versus Siren! Following that is Bloodbane and Pandora, then comes Rancor and G-Force, followed by Rin and Snowblood! Oooh, I can't wait!" "Don't worry, Bonnie!" sang William. "The next match is only ten minutes away! Until then, folks, please feel free to take advantage of our concession stands! And don't forget to come back for more action!!" And together, they both announced: "The next battle in the Iron Arena Games is only moments away!! Stay tuned!!" ---------- To be continued. Xianq: Uh...I guess they said it all. Kris: Yeah. Still...I can't believe we both got beat. Well, at least the others are going onward. Xianq: That's good news. Go, Cobra! Go, Siren! Go, G-Force! Kick...some...ass! Kris: Much ass-kicking will indeed be in the next segment, "The Iron Arena Games, Part Two". So stay tuned or else! Xianq: Yeah, or else! ...Um, or else what? Kris: Or else...um...BaoBao will put you into submission with her cuteness!! Xianq: You heard the lady!
Back to Champions Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction